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EMS

ADMINISTRATION

Language Translation Disclaimer

The City of Bethlehem uses an independent third party tool to provide automated language translation. As with any machine translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not fully translate text into its intended meaning. Therefore, the City of Bethlehem does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text and it should not be relied upon for anything other than informational purposes. We recommend that if you experience difficulty, or doubt the accuracy of the translation, you contact the proper City of Bethlehem department for the information you seek. Please note that some applications and or services may not work as expected when translated.

Emergency Medical Service

Bethlehem EMS is designated as the primary emergency medical service for the City of Bethlehem. Bethlehem EMS is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) to the sick and injured. The Service operates eight fully equipped Advanced Life Support ambulances and two QRS support vehicles with a staff of 23 full-time and 35 part-time state certified paramedics 24 hours a day 7 days a week, responding to nearly 12,000 emergency calls per year. Bethlehem EMS operates out of two stations at 540 Stefko Blvd. and 201 Dewberry Ave.

The City of Bethlehem Emergency Medical Service received the Gold Standard of Excellence recognition in 2012 by the Eastern PA EMS Council for exceeding minimum state requirements for an EMS agency.

A Paramedic is an individual having special, well-defined skills and knowledge in emergency medicine, one who is concerned for the health and well-being of others and who exercises in his or her daily work painstaking attention to all assigned tasks in order to promote the well-being of others. Paramedics treat the sick and injured while transporting them to the most appropriate hospital within the service response area.

The EMS system begins by the early recognition of an emergency and activation of the EMS system by dialing “911”. Specially trained communications technicians will confirm the location of the call and ask key questions that enable them to determine the appropriate response for the EMS unit utilizing Emergency Medical Dispatch. Police Officers and/or Firefighters are dispatched along with EMS to provide early first aid and to relay vital patient information to responding paramedics. Police and Firefighters carry first responder kits and automated external defibrillators (AED’s) to aid in the initial treatment of the sick, injured, and victims of sudden cardiac arrest.

The Bethlehem EMS Bike Team was formed in 2013 to provide quick medical response and care during certain special events within the City of Bethlehem. Team members are certified by the International Police Mountain Bike Association as an EMS Cyclist. The team can maneuver through obstacles and crowds faster than a traditional EMS vehicle. Team members carry Advanced Life Support equipment and can initiate care until an ambulance arrives.

Tactical EMS

The City of Bethlehem Emergency Medical Services has six trained tactical paramedics who provide Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) to the City of Bethlehem Police Department’s Emergency Response Team on high-risk warrants, barricaded subjects and hostage situations. These paramedics provide emergency medical care while dealing with the complexities of a potentially austere and hostile environment.

The City of Bethlehem Emergency Medical Services participates in many public relations events and standbys such as Boy Scout and Girl Scout education for merit badges, Vile of Life program, Hands Only CPR training, Students Against Drunk Driving, and special events such as Musikfest, Celtic Classic, Runner’s World 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon, and Bethlehem Area School District and Bethlehem Catholic High School Varsity football games.

Bethlehem EMS serves as a paramedic student field internship site for the George E. Moerkirk Emergency Medicine Institute. This gives paramedic students a chance to put their didactic education and clinical practice into use under the close supervision of Bethlehem EMS paramedics in real-world settings.

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information.

Please read carefully. Effective Date April 14, 2003

The City of Bethlehem Emergency Medical Services is required by law to protect the privacy of your protected health information (PHI) and provide you with the Notice of Privacy Practices. This notice outlines our legal duties in respect to your PHI. It also describes our privacy practices and your legal rights, but lets you know among other things, how Bethlehem EMS is permitted to use and disclose PHI about you, how you can access information, how you may request amendment of information, and how you may request restrictions on our disclosure of your PHI.

Use and Disclosure Information

For Treatment: This includes providing our services to you and to assist other health care providers in providing care to you, such as physicians, nurses, and hospitals.

For Payment: This includes any activities we must undertake in order to get reimbursed for the services we provide to you, such as submitting bills to insurance companies, making medical necessity determinations and collecting outstanding balances.

To comply with the Law: This is if the use or disclosure is required by law.

For Healthcare Oversight Activities: This includes audits, governmental investigations, inspections, disciplinary proceedings, and other administrative or judicial actions undertaken by the government ( or their contractors) by law to oversee the health care system

For Judicial or Administrative: This includes proceedings as required by the court or administrative order, or in some case in response to a subpoena or other legal process

For Law Enforcement Purposes: This includes legal processes required by law, limited information for identification and location purposes, victims of crimes, deaths occurring as a result of a crime.

To Family Members: This includes individuals involved in your care if we obtain your verbal agreement and in certain other circumstances where we are unable to obtain your agreement and believe the disclosure is in your best interest.

Patient Rights

You have the right to restrict uses or disclosures of your information for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to ask to restrict disclosers to family members or to others who are involved in your health care or payment for your health care. We may also have policies on dependent access that may authorize certain restrictions. Please note while we will consider your request and will permit requests consistent with its policies, we are not required to agree to any restrictions.

You have the right to access, copy or inspect your protected health information. In limited circumstances, we may deny you access to your medical information, and you may appeal certain denials.

You have the right to amend your protected health information. We will generally amend your information unless we believe the information you have asked us to amend is already correct.

You have the right to request an accounting of your medical information that we have made in the six years prior to the date of request.

You have a right to an electronic copy and a paper copy of this notice. You may ask for a copy of this notice at anytime.

Exercising Your Rights

Contacting us: If you have questions about this notice, please call the Privacy Officer at 610-865-7111. If you would like to exercise any of your rights, you must describe your request in writing and mail it to the Privacy Officer at the address below.

Charges: In some instances, we have the right to charge you for the cost associated with providing you with the requested information.

Filing a Complaint: If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with us at the address below.

IMPORTANT: THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

City of Bethlehem Emergency Medical Service is committed to protecting your personal health information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of health information that could reasonably be used to identify you, known as “protected health information” or “PHI.” We are also required by law to provide you with the attached detailed Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) explaining our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI.

We respect your privacy, and treat all healthcare information about our patients with care under strict policies of confidentiality that our staff is committed to following at all times.